Limitless
by ultrasparkysparkyboom
Summary: Diana Crane left the Team three years ago, without an explanation and without any way to trace her. Now, she has come back, but with news on a plan to put down meta-humans once and for all. It's not easy to forget a lifetime of shared memories, but trust can only run on for so long until it dissipates. And how much faith can the Team still have on her? (Sequel to Timeless)
1. Prologue

a/n: Okay, can you believe this is actually happening? Because a small part of me is still in disbelief over this happening. Okay...so this is a sequel to Timeless! I lost all will and passion I had for finishing writing Timeless, but a few weeks ago I came up with the idea for Limitless, a sequel that takes place a few months after the events of YJ's season 2. I modeled this story so that Timeless wouldn't need to have all the episodes of season 1 written in the story, and so no extra information will be needed (other than reading Timeless) that I won't give in this story. So, without further ado...

Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice, or DC. All characters and story lines in those respective mediums are owned by their creators. I do, although, own any OC or story line not previously seen in Young Justice, or the DC Universe, and so please do not steal.

* * *

 **| India**

 **| December 7, 2016**

 **| 06:03 UTC**

Diana slammed her fist down on the jaw of her prisoner. The man groaned, pulled back his lip in a sneer, and spit blood near her feet. It was only a matter of time before Diana caved in and knocked him out. However, she still needed information, and she was intent on acquiring it before the man passed out on her.

"I'm going to ask you one more time," Diana hissed, holding the man's head up by a harsh yank on his hair. "Who do you work for?"

The man let out a breathless chuckle, "Go to hell."

Diana frowned, "Fine." She delivered a blow on top of the man's head, rendering him unconscious.

The last three henchmen Diana had found were as uncooperative as the last one had been. Something, someone, was scaring them more than she was with her torture. She had been trying to find out who the people were reporting back to, and get them to talk, but so far everyone had been ineffective. This job was complicating every year she spent working on it.

Diana sighed, taking off her blood-splattered gloves. She flexed her fingers, rubbing her eyes as a deep weight settled in her stomach. Stretching her back, Diana took her dagger and whip, and cleaned the blood off of them as well. A flinch escaped her as she placed them next to her gun on her utility belt.

"You want to be dropped off at the pier, or in the lake?" Diana asked the unconscious man, her lip tugging weakly upwards. He didn't answer. "Pier it is."

She took off the man's metal restraints, dragging him off the chair and laying him down on the floor. Diana handled his head with care, not wanting another blow to set in. One punch was already more than enough brain damage for one person.

Running a hand through her short hair, Diana let out a breath before picking the man up and slinging one of his arms over her shoulder. It didn't matter if she had just knocked the man unconscious, Diana was buckling under the weight of him. Inhaling deeply, Diana set to stumbling towards the pier just outside the warehouse.

If the henchmen kept their little charade up, Diana would be forced to take drastic measures. Torturing didn't work, and so killing them would only serve as another unnecessary evil for Diana to hold against herself. The worst part was that she had already followed all the leads she had. All other trails had run ice cold as soon as Diana chose to follow one of the other men. It was coming down to only one other option, and as much as Diana hated admitting it, she might not have any other choice on the matter.

Leveling the man down on the wooden boards of the pier, hidden beneath an upside-down boat, Diana took off running in the direction of her hotel. She jumped up a barricade of crates, all stacked up high enough for her to climb up to the roof of one of the other warehouses.

Diana stood on the roof, contemplating her options. She could leave it all to luck; the henchmen may talk to her eventually. There was something about the whole situation that told Diana it would be unlikely. If these weaker, easier to get at men refused to talk, then it was sure that stronger, more trusted men would only laugh at Diana's attempts.

That left her with one option.

Diana took her phone out of a pocket in her utility belt. The sunrise light caught on the metal of her cellphone, glinting a pale yellow. She hadn't had the time to think about it, but as Diana rubbed her eyes, she took into account the tenseness of her shoulders and the exhaustion deep-seated inside her bones. When was the last time she had slept? Two days ago, if she counted the three hours she scrounged up on Thursday.

Sitting down on the metal of the roof, Diana dialed a number she wasn't sure would still work. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she took off her mask and waited with a racing heartbeat for the ringing to stop.

"Hello?"

A shuddery breath escaped Diana, "Hello, M'gann. Do you think you could contact the rest of the Team? It's important."

"Sorry, but who is this?"

"...It's Diana."

The phone clattered down on the other end.

"Oh my gosh! Diana, what-"

"M'gann, I'll need you to send someone from the Team to my exact location. I am going to text you the address. Ideally, they'll have to be here by tomorrow. Do you think you can do that?"

"Of course, yeah, but why haven't we-"

"I have to go. I'll text the address soon."

Diana hung up the phone. There were a million reasons as to why this whole backup plan would backfire in her face. She could only hope that the Team would be merciful enough to hear her out before she asked them for a favor.


	2. A Chance

**| New Delhi, India**

 **| December 8, 15:17 UTC**

"Excuse me, sir, do you know which room Ms. Diana Crane is staying at? I was supposed to meet her at this time."

The concierge eyed the young man in leather jacket, and jeans. He had a bag slung over one of his shoulders, blue eyes hard beneath his fringe. With a patient smile, the concierge asked the young man, "What is your name, sir?"

"Richard Grayson."

The concierge checked the list Ms. Diana Crane had lent him earlier that afternoon. He went down the names she had written down on the piece of paper. She had asked the concierge to let any one of those people, if they came by, to let them know where she was.

The concierge looked at the name _Richard (Dick) Grayson,_ and nodded at the man. "Ms. Crane is currently in the pool. If you take the hallway to the right, you will find a door that leads to the outside grounds."

"Thank you," Dick gave the concierge a small smile before slipping away in a hurried walk.

Anxiousness nipped away at the resolve Dick had gathered during his flight from Gotham to New Delhi. M'gann had mentioned that Diana hadn't seemed like herself during their phone call, and that she had even seemed rushed and stressed. If Diana hadn't called any of them, hadn't let anyone from the Team trace her all these years, then asking for one of them to see her could only mean she was in trouble.

It wasn't only that, though. Dick hadn't seen Diana in almost four years. Her reasons for leaving them she had never told, and any way to track her down had been sealed down by Diana herself. He had spent hours every week trying to find her through the first months of her disappearance. Quickly, Dick realized that she didn't want to be found, and so searching for her had been at the back of his mind for the past two years. Now that Dick was finally going to see her again, it seemed too good to be true.

Dick descended the stairs to the pool, sun high in the sky. There were many guests bathing in the water, some women tanning on the lounge chairs, and adults drinking at the bar. Usually Dick was observant, discerning, but he didn't recognize any of these people as Diana.

It was Diana who recognized him. "Dick?"

Dick turned around. He was facing a young woman, not a girl anymore, with short hair and intense eyes. "Diana?"

Diana tucked her hair behind her ear, it was just long enough to tickle her collarbone. And straight. Another big change. Last time Dick had seen Diana, she had had long, wavy hair and her blue eyes had seemed warm even though their color was supposed to be cold. Now it was like Dick was looking into his own, brutal eyes.

"Hi," Diana said, "I actually didn't expect you to come. Maybe Artemis, or Wally."

"Well," Dick shrugged his shoulders, "I'm here now."

"Yeah," Diana cleared her throat. She stared at Dick for a moment before beckoning him to walk with her toward the bar. Diana stopped in front of the bartender, "I'll have a Sangria. And you, Dick?"

"A draft beer, thanks." Dick nodded to the bartender. He raised his eyebrows at Diana, "Well?"

"Well, we need to have this conversation somewhere more private."

"All right."

The two of them waited in silence as the bartender prepared their drinks. Dick spared a glance at Diana, catching her doing the same to him. They both returned to looking at bystanders, the kids at the pool, anywhere but each other.

The bartender handed them both their drinks. Diana led Dick away from the bar and into a long garden that stood a little ways away from the pool. She adjusted her sarong, and sipped her drink as she walked. Dick didn't have much choice but to follow her lead.

A thick silence fell over them as they walked, which was so much more different than their previous time together. Of course, that had been three years ago, when Diana wanted to be with her friends, not push them away.

"So," Dick drawled.

"Okay, here's the deal," Diana interrupted, "I have been interrogating people for the past few years, all of them from the League of Shadows and people who work for Cadmus. I've gathered enough information to believe they're planning something big. Like destroying-the-world big."

"Any idea what it is?" Dick asked.

"It involves taking away the powers of the meta-humans," Diana muttered.

Dick halted, grabbing Diana's shoulder and holding her still, "Do you know how they would do that? When they will do that? Anything else about their plan?"

Diana nodded, looking around, "It's going to be taking place during the next few months. I'm not sure when exactly."

Dick scowled, "Why didn't you tell us about this sooner?"

"I was still gathering intel," Diana said, "But all trails are dead-ends by now, and I know one person isn't going to stop something this big."

"Let me get this straight," Dick laughed disbelievingly, "You called us as a last resort?"

"No, actually. The Team was my first option when I thought of who would be best to stop a major catastrophe."

"That's not what I meant."

"Then what is it?"

Dick widened his eyes at Diana, eyebrows drawn together. "You can't be serious."

"I am."

"We haven't seen you, or heard from you, in three whole years. Now, I think I've been fairly patient with you, but the fact that you called us only when you needed help makes me think that maybe I should have asked sooner."

"Asked me why I left." Diana crossed her arms over her torso, "I'm not going to pretend that what I did was completely justified, because it won't be in your eyes and it's not in mine. But I can't just tell you the whole story, either."

"Why?" Dick narrowed his eyes, "Did you do something bad, something that could actually get the Justice League to arrest you?"

Diana glanced away from Dick, biting her lip.

Finally, she murmured, "No. It could have turned into something harmful for all of you, but it didn't because I left. The only reason why I left was to protect all of you."

"Then why won't you tell me about it? You should trust me."

"And I do, but not telling you is better for now. Please, Dick, not now."

Dick scoffed, "Not now? Three years was enough of a wait, Diana, and three years is all you're going to get."

"Fine. You won't have to wait another year, just give me a few days."

"How am I supposed to trust you if you hide things from me?"

Diana stared into Dick's eyes, "Because you trusted me before, and I didn't let you down."

"But you left."

"I won't leave again."

"How do I know that for sure?"

"You don't."

"You are sounding fairly antagonistic right now."

That got Diana to crack a smile, albeit a small one, "You're playing bad cop with me, Dick, don't think I'm the only antagonist here."

Dick sighed, rubbing his face. He really shouldn't be doing this. It had been three years without any of the Team members hearing about Diana, and in his experience, three years made way for a lot of changes. A split second could change a person forever; who knew what three years out in the world could do to someone. There wasn't evidence enough that Diana was as good as she had been when she was sixteen. This was too risky.

"I need you to give me more than that, D," Dick declared.

"What else do you need?"

"Proof that I can actually trust you to be in the Cave with all of us, proof that you didn't go darkside in the past three years."

"I thought telling you about a massive evil plan was enough to convince you that I'm one of the good guys." Dick gave Diana a look, and she relented, "I wouldn't hurt any of you, Dick. I love all of you, I grew up with all of you! There's no doubt in my mind that I would lay my life down for everyone in the Team, and the League."

Dick and Diana stared at each other, as if nothing had changed between them. To a stranger passing by, they would see a couple in the middle of a fight. To both of them, they only saw a friendship and a relationship thrown to the wolves three years ago. Something they might not get back if Diana didn't fight hard enough to sew it together once more.

"You're my best friend, Dick," Diana murmured, "You know me better than anyone else in this world. You know when I lie, and this isn't a lie."

Dick nodded, "It isn't a lie, but the fact that you're keeping something from me is going to be hard to get past."

"I'm not asking you to get past it. Just help me stop this before it's too late."

* * *

 **| Rome, Italy**

 **| December 9, 12:20 CEST**

Diana yawned, slumping down on the airport chair. She had been reading a book she'd bought a few months ago, but never had the chance to read. Dick was wandering the airport, trying to find them lunch before they embarked on another long flight from Rome to Gotham City. From there, they would take a rented car to Happy Harbour.

It was only mid-day and Diana already wanted it all to be over. Traveling with Dick had always been fun, entertaining. Now that they had missed three years of each other's presence, they weren't able to find a good topic to elaborate on. Their situation was short of becoming a nightmare.

A sandwich dropped on Diana's lap. She grabbed it, glancing up at Dick and giving him a small smile. "Thanks."

Dick gave her an odd look, "No problem."

"What is it?" Diana asked, "Why are you giving me that look?"

"Nothing, it's just...you didn't flinch when I threw you the sandwich."

"Oh," Diana nodded. "Yeah, kind of different from when I used to jump at every little touch, huh?"

"Yeah, kind of weird, actually," Dick sat down next to her, unwrapping his own meal.

"You'll get used to it," Diana took a bite of her sandwich. It was cheese and chicken; Dick remembered.

They ate in silence for a few minutes before Dick cleared his throat, "So, um, since you left some things have changed."

"I'd be scared if they hadn't," Diana chewed.

"Yeah, well," Dick continued, "The Team is much larger than it was before. We've gotten many new members, but most of the old Team is still with us. Uh, Barbara actually became Batgirl-"

"No way," Diana grinned, "I was wondering who Batgirl was! That's pretty amazing. How hard did Bruce train her?"

"Really hard, but that's not what I want to talk to you about," Dick turned his body to face Diana, face shadowed.

"Okay," Diana narrowed her eyes.

"There's really no easy way to tell you this. You know that our line of work is dangerous, and that people die all the time." Diana nodded as Dick continued to speak, "Six months ago, we stopped the Light, but there was a machine that would wipe out the planet if the speedsters didn't neutralize it...Wally didn't make it through."

Diana swallowed, her eyes widening. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but nothing came out. It hit her that she hadn't been able to see him one last time before he died, not once. All because she had been gone for three stupid years. Six months ago, Diana had been in Taipei following a lead and torturing men twice her age while Wally was dying. Had she been sleeping as he died? Had she been torturing people? Had she been at the _beach?_

"Diana," Dick whispered, voice laced with sympathy.

Diana stood up, "I need to go to the bathroom." She fled before Dick could get another word in.

Diana weaved her way through the mass of people walking to their boarding areas. She kept her head down the whole time, hair tickling her neck. It only made her swat it away, brows furrowing as her eyes burned more and more. In what world was it okay for Wally West to die so young?

Diana pushed a stall door open as she entered the bathroom, inhaling deeply and exhaling. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. She crouched down in front of the toilet, holding the sides of her neck as she squeezed her eyes shut.

If anyone had told her that this was what she would get for going away, Diana would never have left.

* * *

 **| Gotham City, USA**

 **| December 9, 14:40 EST**

Dick and Diana packed their suitcases into the back of the rented car. They had agreed to change drivers halfway through the trip, and so Diana would be going first, and then Dick. Both of them sat in their seats, clicked their seat-belts on, and drove away from the airport.

Diana turned up the volume of the radio station. She didn't feel like talking, hadn't felt like it for the past eight hours of flying. The only thing that was holding her together was Dick's presence next to her, and years of accustoming to loss and grieve. A shuddery breath escaped her as she started up the car, but Dick didn't let it go unnoticed.

"I can drive if you want," he said, voice soft, "You can sleep in the backseat, you look tired."

"No," Diana shook her head, "I'm fine. Besides, I know my way through Gotham better than through Happy Harbour."

"Right, okay," Dick nodded, falling silent.

They both listened to the car's music for the next four hours of road, stopping once for a bathroom, and bottled water. Dick tried to keep up conversation between them, but Diana shot him down every time he tried to get more than a few words in. She could tell he was getting frustrated with her, but she didn't really mind it. He had been so patient with her, allowing Diana to get away with not telling him why she left when she had expected him to yell and shout. Him getting frustrated made her feel a sick sense of fulfillment.

"You're not going to be brooding when we get there, will you?" Dick asked after they passed a road sign that said 'Happy Harbour, 70 miles'.

"No, but I have a right to be sad, don't I?"

"I didn't say you couldn't grieve," Dick ran a hand through his hair. "Listen, when Wally died, I left the Team. I was on my own for two months before I could see the Cave and not feel sick to my stomach. It's okay if you grieve, but everyone wants to see you."

"Fine," Diana huffed.

"Don't use that tone on me, D."

"Please, as if you haven't been acting like the worried dad all day."

"So just because I'm the worried dad you have to be the angsty teenager?"

Diana cracked a slight smile, "Shut up. Wake me up when we get there, all right?" She wiggled in the passenger seat before deciding on a position.

Closing her eyes, Diana heard Dick say "All right," before she fell asleep.

It felt like she had only slept for five minutes before Dick shook her awake. As soon as Diana opened her eyes, she was blinded by a bright light overhead. She squinted, making out the basement of the Cave. It looked just as it had three years ago.

"You ready?"

Diana glanced at Dick, he was looking at her with something akin to care, or worry. She clenched her chattering teeth, "Of course."

They got out of the car, grabbed their backpacks, and walked toward the elevator. Diana took in the basement, the pool that led to the ocean, the motorcycles, and a new racing track that hadn't been there before. Somehow, it looked at home with everything else.

Diana breathed in, closing her eyes, "I missed this place."

Dick's lips pulled up, and he chuckled to himself, "Kind of a hard place to let go of, huh?"

"No kidding."

Before the elevator door opened, the computer ran a scan of their faces. It beeped, but didn't call out their names. Dick and Diana entered the elevator, and as they did, Dick whipped out a pair of sunglasses.

Diana grinned at him, "During the time that I was away I learnt that only two types of people wear sunglasses inside, blind people and assholes."

Dick barked out a laugh, "Nice icebreaker, there."

Diana chuckled, but then a thought came back to her, "Hey, the computer didn't say our names when it scanned us. Did you make upgrades?"

"Nope," Dick shook his head, "The Cave got blown to bits seven months back, and we've finished rebuilding everything but the really fancy stuff. Hence why the computer isn't calling out your name like a butler anymore."

"Harsh year, I take."

"Apparently not harsh enough," Dick smiled mockingly, shooting her a look. Diana fell silent, looking to the side of the elevator. She knew that when she returned, the Team wouldn't be all too forgiving with her. Leaving without an explanation wasn't something they could simply overlook.

The elevator door opened, revealing the hallway that led to the main computer room. Diana's heartbeat accelerated. Dick placed a hand on her elbow, leading her forward into the deserted room. Apparently, there was no one waiting there for them.

Dick dropped his bag on the floor, "That's odd."

"What is?"

"I thought they'd all be in here."

"Maybe they're in the kitchen," Diana suggested.

They both moved out of the computer room into another hallway that led to the living room and kitchen. Diana couldn't help but run a hand on the smooth walls as they walked along. It had been so long since she had even seen the Cave. This place had been her home for a long time, but the past three years had made it feel like a distant dream that seemed too real but never real enough.

Diana's thundering heart calmed down the longer they walked on for, as if it knew she was safe here. She knew she could trust everyone in the Cave, knew that they all went to huge measures to keep it protected from invaders. If there was a fortress on Earth, this would be it.

"Guys," Dick called out, just as they reached the end of the hallway. They turned a corner and were finally face-to-face with the Team.

Diana recognized some faces, both from personally meeting them and from the TV, but she also didn't know many of them. She could see M'gann, Conner, Artemis, Kaldur, Barbara; her friends. They all looked different, more grown up, and with harder features than she remembered. Then there was Wonder Girl, and Blue Beetle, whom she had seen on newscasts. There was also a boy, his whole body green, and she could have sworn he looked familiar. The few people who Diana didn't recognize must have been from the new Team. When Diana took another look at the faces, she saw Bart Allen among them. She gave him an odd look, but he only grinned.

"Oh my gosh," M'gann breathed.

Everyone had been sitting in the living room, huddled together as M'gann whisked in a bowl at the kitchen. As soon as M'gann spoke, a spell broke over them, and people rushed forward to meet Diana halfway.

Artemis was quickest, hugging Diana and then pulling away to punch her, "What the hell were you thinking? No, you probably weren't even thinking when you up and left us like that!"

"That was the worst idea you've ever hard, you bastard," Barbara agreed, scowling. She tugged Diana forward, and they hugged each other fiercely.

"You should have called! Or at least sent us a message telling us you were all right." M'gann was on the verge of tears, as Diana wrapped an arm around her, squeezing tight before letting go.

Diana looked at Conner and Kaldur, both standing next to each other. Conner looked stern, while Kaldur seemed upset. Dropping her bag on the floor, Diana grabbed them both and hugged them. Kaldur sighed, relenting and wrapping an arm around her. Conner followed after a long moment of hesitation.

When they let go, Conner frowned, "You shouldn't have left like that."

Before Diana could figure out a retort, a set of skinny arms wrapped around her middle. Diana clutched Bart back, a burst of breathy laughter leaving her, "Well you made it, Bart, and that's really great. But why aren't you in the future?"

Bart pulled back, grinning, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Time machine might have broken down. Turns out your powers only lasted long enough for one run."

"Uh," Blue Beetle interrupted, "Might be a stupid question, _ese_ , but what are you two talking about?"

"Not that stupid of a question, Jaime," Dick said, "I'm wondering the same thing."

Diana and Bart shared a look, "We can't really say much, as I'm sure Bart told you, because it would only alter the time stream. But, long story short, I gathered some intel last year on a member of the Light who had a plan to cause, well, something bad. I traveled to the future, met Bart, and helped him with the time machine after he told me he wanted to set a few things right."

Bart nodded, "She used her powers to make the machine work. It took us a long time to get it to even turn on, but it did, and-Hey," Bart looked at Diana, "Did you stay long enough to find out if I actually did it?"

"Uh," Diana stalled. She had stayed in the future after Bart left in the time machine, but all that changed had been Blue Beetle no longer being one of the bad guys, Flash living and breathing, and Nathaniel being healed. The world would still fall into chaos. "No, I didn't."

"Oh, that's fine, I guess," Bart gave her an odd smile.

"All right," Barbara nodded. "Well, we should introduce you to everyone, and I'm sure you want to see your family again, right?" Diana's face lit up at the thought, but her expression was quick to change when Barbara added, "After, you can tell us all about the past three years."

Bart leaned over and whispered, "You're not going to tell them everything, are you?" Diana gave a tiny shake of her head before straightening up, and going over to the group of people near the sofa.

Barbara nodded at each person as she introduced them. "That's Karen Beecher, Bumblebee; and her boyfriend, Mal Duncan, the new Guardian," Mal and Raquel both waved. "Then that's Jaime Reyes, Blue Beetle; Cassie Sandsmark, Wonder Girl; Robin; La'gaan, Lagoon Boy; Garfield Logan, Beast Boy; and Virgil Hawkins, Static."

"Wait," Diana said, "Did you say Garfield Logan?"

Garfield waved, smiling, "You remember me?"

Diana laughed, "Of course. We helped your mom and you with the farm, around the time when that problem with Queen Bee was going on. And not to be rude, but why are you green?"

"Remember when Gar got hurt and lost a lot of blood?" M'gann asked, curling a hand on Garfield's shoulder, "Well, when we gave him my blood, it caused him to turn green, like a Martian, and to be able to shape-shift between animals."

"Huh," Diana wondered, "Do you at least like it?"

"Yeah," Gar nodded, glancing up at M'gann. "It's pretty cool to shape-shift, and have a sister from another planet."

Diana smiled, "That's good." It was cute that M'gann and Garfield thought of each other as siblings.

The computer beeped, announcing the arrival of another group of people. Diana gave everyone a last smile before she took off to the computer room. She speed-walked down the hallways, keeping a steady but quick pace. The breath was knocked out of her, as a new mass of people embraced her.

Diana could feel everything at once. Dinah's hand in her hair, Oliver's muscled arms around her front, and Roy's fingers squeezing her waist. But there was also an extra pair of hands. They all pulled back, and for one second Diana thought she was hallucinating. There were two Roys in front of her.

"No way," Diana whispered, a grin spreading, "Oh my gosh, it's Roy and Roy! It's both of you." She grabbed both Roys and hugged them tight, eyes beginning to water as she stared at Dinah and Oliver.

When they let go, all five of them huddled together in a mix of smiles and tears. Diana couldn't believe she had her whole family back. How many times had she dreamed of coming back to them in the past year? It had been too many. And how many times had those dreams ended with her family leaving her, as she did them? The same count. Now that Diana was with them, in person, she could see their smiles and know she would be safe, at least for some time.

"We have missed you so much," Dinah said, biting her quivering lip and running a hand through Diana's hair. "And look at you, you've grown so much. You grew up to be such a beautiful young woman."

One of the Roys smiled, "Yeah, I mean, last time I saw you you must have been eleven, and now you're eighteen. It's really good to see you again. You look great."

Diana let out a watery laugh, and hugged Roy again. "You're the one that Cadmus took, right? You're the one who taught me how to ride a bike?"

"One and only, peanut," Roy grinned.

"Oh my gosh," A tear slipped out of Diana's eyes, "I haven't heard you call me that since I was ten! And you," she turned to the other Roy, "You look healthy, and happy! I am so glad to see you're all right," and she hugged him too.

"Yeah, well, we had to pull him out of the ditch," Oliver laughed, opening his arms so Diana could hug him, as well. He spun her once before setting her down, a murmured, "my little girl," escaping his lips before they let go of each other.

"I am so sorry," Diana declared, wiping her tears, "I really am. I shouldn't have left without saying goodbye, and I should have at least called. There's no excuse for what I did, but I can apologize. And I am so so sorry for everything."

"If you really are sorry, then maybe you can tell us why you left," Bruce appeared from the shadows, clad head-to-toe in his costume. He looked out of place as Batman with everyone else in civvies, but his air of authority made it seem like he was the only one who got the dress code right. Any other person had only missed the memo about wearing their uniforms.

"It's nice to see you too," Diana nodded, acknowledging the small smile Bruce shot her way. "It'll be best if we go into the living room with the Team."

The six of them walked into the hallway, everyone closely behind Diana. She felt watched, censored. In reality, she couldn't blame them for their cautiousness, but it still irked her that they had to do it even while in the Cave. There were only two places in the world Diana would never be able to escape, and those were the Cave and the Watchtower.

They emerged into the living room. Everyone fell silent, a hushed impatience to their sudden quiet. Diana waited for her friends to take comfortable positions before she said, "I can't give you the full reason as to why I left, and it's not because I did something unforgivable more so that what I did wasn't right in my eyes, and I know it won't be in yours. But, essentially, I left to keep you all safe."

"Safe from what?" Dinah asked, voice understanding even with the lack of information on the situation.

"Safe from myself, and from the bad guys. I...may have had one of the chips used on the League in 2010 inserted in my system."

"Why didn't you ask us for help, then?" Dick crossed his arms.

"Because the chip was modeled to be virtually impossible to disarm unless you had seen it made, programmed, and knew how to operate it. None of us knew how the new chip worked, and so I left to have it removed. If I had stayed, people would have definitely gotten hurt, I would have extracted important information for the bad guys' use, and some of you might even be dead."

Everyone kept silent, eyes downcast and expressions drawn. Diana shifted from one leg to another, exhaling softly. It wasn't until Bruce spoke up that the room looked up, "I expect you to give me a more detailed report later in the week. For now, I suggest you get some sleep." With that, Batman left the room, and a few minutes later, the Cave altogether.

"Well," M'gann exclaimed, clapping her hands together, "I made you and Nightwing some dinner, if you're hungry."

"Yeah," Diana smiled, looking at everyone in the room. They all seemed more relaxed, the tension in their stances dissipated into comfortableness. "That'd be great, M'gann, thanks."

* * *

a/n: I have seen evidence, in real life, that releasing things in the middle of the night make it more successful. Thus, I am posting chapter one at 1:08am. Anyway, please review, tell me what you thought! I love hearing theories, and comments from you guys! xx


	3. Know Not

a/n: I am so sorry this took so long to upload, but school started and it seems to me that we have begun with the university-load of homework. That, piled on with activities after school, didn't give me much time to write. But, the chapter is finally here. Also, for those who review as Guests, I will be replying to their reviews at the end of the chapter.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

* * *

 **| Mount Justice**

 **| December 10, 07:13 EST**

Diana startled awake, hand reaching for the dagger hidden under her pillow. Her chest heaved, eyes alarmed, and yet her hand didn't tremble. Another loud sound came from the door, but after a minute of disorientation, Diana realized she was in the Cave, and what she had heard was a knock. Nothing a dagger was needed for. She hid it in her nightstand table, careful not to make rattling sounds.

The door opened, and there stood Barbara with a tentative smile. "Good morning. Did I wake you up?"

"Uh, yeah," Diana shrugged. "But it's fine."

Barbara walked into the room, holding onto the handle of the door as she leaned forward. "So, M'gann made pancakes."

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Probably because it's a very M'gann thing to do, you know, make big breakfasts for long-lost friends." Barbara quirked an eyebrow, but didn't push.

"Mm," Diana hummed. "Are we all going to fit in the kitchen? Aren't there twenty plus people?"

"Wow, you're really out of it. Do you even remember half of the Team leaving the Cave yesterday?"

"Incidentally, no. I don't."

"Hey," Barbara's brows furrowed, "When was the last time you slept more than four hours?"

Diana kept silent for a moment, thinking. There was no use in lying, especially not to Barbara. "About a week."

Barbara stared at Diana, scowl deepening each passing second. Finally, she said, "Gathering intel takes time, I get that, but if you hadn't called us what would you have done? Spent two weeks without sleep? Three weeks? Would you have gone an entire month just running on caffeine and adrenaline?"

"If that's what it took, yes," Diana declared. She stood up from her bed, going into the bathroom to brush her teeth as Barbara went on.

"Ana, you are one of my closest friends, and as one of _yours_ , I think that I'm right in telling you that what you just said is a load of crap."

"Thanks, Babs. I appreciate that."

Diana could see Barbara glaring at her in the mirror. "What happened to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that for the past three years you've been gone, you sure changed quite a bit. Believing that the mission is more important than a life? You're starting to sound like Bruce."

Diana considered this while drying her hands off. "Maybe Bruce had a point in that."

"No he didn't," Barbara scoffed. "Diana Crane, look at me. Bruce was wrong in believing that, and you used to know better than this. What changed? What did you do these past three years?"

In that moment, Diana could see the desperation. The need, the craving for a concrete explanation that would erase all theories in Barbara's mind and replace them with facts. Diana couldn't give her that, not yet, not when they hadn't even started on the mission. If she told them all that had happened to her, they wouldn't dare talk to her, much less help her. No, what Diana had done was to remain hidden until the mission was completed. She owed the world to save lives after she had killed so many.

"Barbara," Diana inhaled deeply, "I did many things. I changed, just like you did. You became Batgirl when last time I saw you the only thing you wanted was to graduate law school and become an honorable cop. Now you're running around, knee-deep in the world of lies. You're a vigilante, and people don't trust, or value vigilantes, do they? Don't you think that if you changed, I might have changed, too?"

"Of course I knew you changed, Diana, it was clear as soon as you walked through that door that you weren't the same." Barbara sighed, "But I still see honor in what I do. I still hold the same principles as I did before. Why don't you?"

"Being in the field, without any League member to watch over you, is pretty sobering, Babs. You change, you adapt. You have to. So if my principles aren't same, then what are we to do about it?

"We could start with you telling us what happened."

Diana narrowed her eyes, "The Team sent you here to coax everything out of me, didn't they?"

"They might have," Barbara shrugged. A twitch of a smile.

"You don't think you will, do you?"

"Not until you're ready, no."

Diana shook her head, a breath of laughter leaving her. "I missed you, Babs. You always just—"

"Understood you," Barbara finished, full on grinning now. "Yeah, I know."

Diana raised her arm, waiting for Barbara to sling her own arm around her shoulders before she wrapped hers around Barbara's waist. They walked out of Diana's room together, making their way into the kitchen where everyone else was waiting for them.

Diana and Barbara let each other go, with the former standing in the middle of the kitchen greeting everyone and the latter going over to sit with Dick, who donned the sunglasses again. Everybody sat down on the kitchen table. Conner was still pulling extra chairs out for the Team members that had decided to stay yesterday night.

Dinah, Oliver, and Red Arrow had stayed with them overnight. Diana sat next to Dinah, smiling at the rest of her family, minus one. The other Roy, after staying for the better half of the night, had left with the promise of another visit. He had glared at Red Arrow, as he had left, and Diana realized that she wouldn't get many other instances where both of them were together.

Dick, Barbara, Artemis, Kaldur, and Bart had stayed as well, with M'gann, Conner, and Garfield already living in the Cave. All thirteen of them sat around the cramped table, pancakes and eggs floating to land on everyone's plates.

Diana couldn't help but think that M'gann had really outdone herself this time. Out of all the occasions she could have made such a big breakfast for thirteen people, she had chosen this one. It felt like too much privilege for someone who didn't deserve the love and care that inspired M'gann's kindness.

"Well, I gotta say, M'gann," Diana grinned over at her, as she sat down next to Conner and Gar. "This is pretty amazing for you to have done by yourself."

"Oh, no," M'gann laughed, "Conner helped a lot. And Gar a little bit, even if he spilled the pancake mix."

The table shook with unabashed joy, and for a second it was too much for Diana to handle.

"Conner, help with cooking? What else changed while I was away?" Diana asked, cutting into her eggs.

Dick hummed, mouth full with food. He swallowed and said, "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. Since we're going to have missions together, you're going to have to know some of our new identities. I'm not Robin anymore, which you saw. I'm Nightwing," Then Dick pointed to Artemis, "She goes by Tigress. Bart is the new Kid Flash. And Roy, uh, not this one but the other one, is called Arsenal."

"Okay," Diana nodded slowly. "That, added with the new Team members, is going to require some flashcards."

Roy snorted, "Nerd."

"Excuse me, Roy," Diana turned to him, smirk quick for form. "That little flashcards thing? Don't know if you remember, but you were the one who made me use them. You don't get to say anything."

Roy only rolled his eyes before stabbing his fork on the eggs. He continued to eat in silence, but a grin was still present on his face.

"All right, and what other things? Any leadership changes, team set-ups, hook-ups?"

"Ever since the Team welcomed all of it's new members, we have changed some of our mission set-up." Kaldur informed, "Many of us stay back as a selected group solves smaller, more covert missions."

"Makes sense," Diana nodded.

"Bart also started this thing," Artemis smiled, a trace of nostalgia trailing after the curl of her lips. "We now do Friday Movie Night, every single week when we have free evenings."

Diana glanced at Bart, and his puffed up chest. She could imagine Bart now, suggesting the Team watch movies whenever they could, just as Wally had done years ago. And even more, she could picture Bart donning the Kid Flash costume as if he had been born for it. A small smile appeared on Diana's lips, and she glanced down at the plate for a second so the stinging in her eyes could ease up.

"Oh, Bart," Diana chuckled. "That's so very like you."

"Thanks, I guess?" A confused little smile lit up Bart's face.

A momentary silence veiled over the group as some finished their meals, and others rested on the chairs. Ollie let out a huge yawn, and Diana realized that she, too, was still bone-weary.

M'gann clapped her hands, "Well, let me take the plates up," and she levitated them, placing them down in the sink. Conner was elected for washing duty, with M'gann and Gar cleaning the kitchen. They were a unit, so obviously accustomed to being in each other's presence, that Diana stayed back when everyone else moved to the living room.

"So if only you three live here," Diana started, "Does that make us roomies?"

M'gann grinned, "Yeah, but there's one condition."

"What's that?"

"We have to have sleepovers again."

Diana laughed, "As soon as the clock strikes nine you can expect me in your room with my pillow and a movie."

"I want to join too," Gar exclaimed, converting into a dog so he could give M'gann a true puppy-eyed look.

Diana glanced up at Conner, quirking an eyebrow. He shrugged in return, "If you're all doing it then I guess so…"

M'gann laughed, petting Gar and kissing Conner on the cheek. She turned to Diana, grinning widely.

"It'll be just like old times."

Diana knew it wouldn't be, but this was M'gann. She couldn't destroy her fantasies.

* * *

The Team had decided to split into two groups, one lounging in the living room and the other training in the mission room. Diana had gone with the first group in the living room, a week of sleeplessness and a long travel catching up to her. Dick, Barbara, Dinah, Ollie, and Diana were chatting as the others practiced.

Silences barely plagued their conversation, except for the rare moment where Diana subtly refused to share too much information of her past missions. The short stretches of quietness in between always seems to drag on for Diana, the penetrating gazes of the four people too knowing, too questioning.

Even then, the conversations remained fairly light. They ranged from new movie releases to the catastrophe that had been the Reach invasion, which Dinah asked Diana where she had been during the issue.

"I was actually in Taipei at the time," Diana said. "I saw you, Ollie, and both Roys there. You didn't see me, of course, but I helped a bit. I stopped time so I could take down some active hostiles. You wouldn't believe how many Reach-hired snipers I found."

"Snipers?" Barbara raised an eyebrow. "Seems a bit odd for a bunch of aliens to be taking down a group of heroes with normal guns."

"They were alien technology," Diana said, "It shot off a bright blue blast. I didn't stay around to study it."

"You never do stay long enough, do you?" Dick asked.

Diana turned to him, staring. The thinly veiled resentment toward her was normal. Diana could deal with that. It was just how Dick showed his discomfort at a situation, his hate for being played, or for not having been able to control something. But the open harshness was new, and it was not welcome.

"I leave once and suddenly I've left more times," Diana sank back on the sofa, crossing her arms. "Huh, strange philosophy."

"No, not a strange philosophy," Dick leaned forward. "Just a friend being mad at someone who left her whole life behind for three years."

"Would you have preferred you dying because of a Cadmus chip implanted on my brain?"

"We could have figured something out. Together."

Diana's expression faltered, then softened. "Dick…leaving you was hard. One of the hardest things I've had to do. But don't hold it against me. I didn't want you to get hurt, or anyone else, for that matter."

Dick lifted his sunglasses, and rubbed his eyes. Barbara soothed his back, turned to Diana, "To be honest, Ana, we all felt a bit underappreciated after you left. We really thought that you went off on your own because you wanted to. Three years of thinking that is going to be hard to get past."

"I know," Diana nodded. "Just know that I'm sorry, I wish I had done things differently, but I didn't. No way to go back now."

"Well, technically…"

Diana chuckled, shooting a mock glare at Ollie. "Time traveling is not so easy when you're going through years."

"Then how'd you get to me?"

They turned to see Bart, covered in sweat, in his Kid Flash costume. Something tugged under Diana's skin, a contradictory push and pull. "Took me two months of preparation. So I needed to stop using my powers, get a hell of a hiding place, and to be inactive for all that time. Also, when I got to 2042, I had to down six Advils a day."

Bart winced, "Doesn't sound like fun."

"It wasn't."

Kaldur came in from the training room, sweat shining on his temples. He gestured back to the mission room, "I believe it is your turn."

Diana, Ollie, Dinah, Barbara, and Dick got off the couch to grab their costumes. Having left hers in the bedroom, Diana went in that direction before calling out. "Hey, Bart, I want you to walk with me. You still haven't told me if the past is as crash as you thought it'd be."

She shot him a look over her shoulder, one that Bart had seen many times. He followed her to the hallway, walking side by side. They remained in silence until they were out of earshot, and even then, Diana refused to begin a conversation. It was when the door of her bedroom closed behind her that she allowed herself to talk.

"I gave you enough fuel for a come-and-go trip. Why didn't you go back?"

Bart rubbed his eyes; he knew this was coming. He had seen it miles before it came, knew that if he ever saw her again Diana would chastise him for not returning to the future. A similar interrogation had already formed in his mind months ago, one where she explained the rules of time travel, and the dangers of staying in a time where you didn't belong. It was as if he was a time manipulator himself, with all the knowledge he had on the issue.

"Because that future was not one worth going to, and I think you'd agree."

Diana shuffled clothes around her bag, opening a zipper at the end, and procuring a black, leathery-looking garment. "Do you know how stupid it was of you to stay here? How utterly, amazingly idiotic?"

"I knew the risks of staying here," Bart said. "You pretty much carved them in my mind. Kind of makes 'set in stone' literal."

"This is not a joke."

"Gee, someone's touchy."

Diana glared. She gestured for Bart to turn around while she changed.

"Listen, Bart—"

"No, you have to listen to me. I couldn't stand another day in that place. I just couldn't. The future that I was supposed to go back to was a living nightmare. I hated it there. You can't tell me to go back, and you really can't make me unless—"

"Bart," Diana raised her voice. "I'm not going to make you go back, and I'm not going to lecture you either."

"What?" Bart almost turned around in his shock, "Why not?"

"Would you prefer I did?"

"No, but it's weird."

Diana snorted. "Well, for starters, the future didn't improve much. Barry and Nathan are all good, Blue Beetle and the Reach aren't the cause of the apocalypse, but the heroes are still destroyed. Also, Wally is gone, which puts us back where we were."

Bart ran a hand through his hair, "Square one. Seriously? And here I was believing I actually did something right for once."

Diana placed a hand on Bart's shoulder when she was done, glove glistening in a cleanliness that would make you believe it hadn't been smattered with blood three days earlier.

She gave him a comforting smile, "It's not your fault. The past and the future are hard things to rewrite, but we will get it right eventually."

"Okay," Bart sighed, "What went wrong this time?"

"The Light, specifically the Shadows and Cadmus."

"When are you going to tell the Team?"

"Soon enough. Not today, though." Diana gave Bart a last smile before opening the door, and walking out, "It's good to have you here, Bart."

"Are you going soft on me?" Bart laughed. "Would you look at that, the stoic chick has feelings."

"Don't call me a chick, please."

"Sure thing."

Diana and Bart walked back into the living room. Bart made himself comfortable on the floor next to Gar, who was watching what seemed like an action movie. Noticing that M'gann, Conner, Roy, and Kaldur weren't with them, Diana walked into the mission room. There, everyone else was waiting for Diana to come in.

The first thing Diana noticed was that Dick's Nightwing costume was a definite improvement from his Robin. The suit was dark grey, obviously reinforced, and there was no long, flashy cape. Then, she noticed Artemis' Tigress costume. It suited her in a way that should have been unnerving, strange, but it wasn't. Tigress fit Artemis' character well.

Barbara also was wearing her Batgirl costume. It was the same as Diana had seen in a rare picture on the Internet. The greys, the trademark mask, and the long cape were all familiar. It seemed that Bruce liked to suit up his protégés with capes, no matter how unconventional they were. Everyone else's costumes had not changed, except for that now Conner wore a long-sleeved shirt. Diana almost laughed at the small change.

"Well, that's drastic," Artemis commented as Diana walked in.

She was right. Diana's costume when she was younger had been completely white, even the mask. Now, her suit was black. The utility belt was dark grey, the mask a domino, and her boots steel-plated. Her gloves were also new, with metal reinforcing the knuckles.

The old costume had been impractical, flashy. Diana had been young, and she had not thought of what would be most useful and deadly. Now, her new costume seemed to be a complete opposite of the old. It was made to be as cruel to her opponents as possible.

"Not like your guys' suits didn't go through puberty with you," Diana joked.

Barbara huffed out a laugh. "I got mine when I was seventeen, Ana. Too late for puberty."

Diana shrugged, smiling. "So, who's first?"

"You and me," Dick said, already moving towards the training circle. His steps were slow, his gaze considering the new changes of Diana's suit, and build.

"Want to let out some pent up anger at me, huh?"

"We all do," Roy said.

Diana cringed, "My own brother…"

Diana walked into the circle, and assumed a fighting stance. She bent her knees; saw Dick making small bodily adjustments according to her height and stance. In return, she angled her body so their chests were facing away from each other, but also so her back was not left vulnerable.

And at once, the fighting began.

The thing with fighting, Diana always thought, was that muscle memory took over. You did not think, therefore you barely panicked unless your mind picked up on you losing a considerable amount of ground. It was all subconscious movements. Calmness overtook your body, one that was harsh and precise. The calm before the storm.

Fighting with Dick felt largely like that. It was silent, but with a hint of familiarity that Diana had not experienced in a long time. A year and a half now, since she had fought with someone she felt remotely comfortable with. Training with Dick felt like a dance, all the steps had been pre-selected and hinted at, even though never explicitly stated. Diana could imagine that doing this with the other Team members and her family would feel the same, and she was glad for it.

Dick kicked at her head. Diana blocked it, and moved out of his kicking range. She elbowed him just on the side of his ribs, but the blow proved ineffective due to the armor in his suit. There was a brief second of stillness as they surveyed each other's weak spots, and then the fighting resumed.

Diana lashed out, kicks relentless, forcing Dick to the defense. He sneaked in a block, pushing her kicking leg out and away from her body, throwing her off-balance. She straightened up just as he threw a punch to her solar plexus, where the wind would have been knocked out of her had she not moved to the right at the last second.

It continued like this for only three minutes. There came a kick, a punch, an elbow to the ribs, a jump, a swiping of the legs. Then came the more complicated, intricate fighting style. The acrobatics that Dick and Diana had so much loved to show off to each other during their old training sessions. Dick spun horizontally in the air, leg branching out for a shoulder kick that would have slammed Diana on the floor. She skirted away, boots squeaking.

Diana was on the defensive now, deflecting punches and moving away from Dick's range. She dodged one, two, four spins that would have rendered her useless if Dick had been using his full force. He was panting slightly by now, chest rising more noticeably than before. A weakness. It was time to strike.

Like a bullet, Diana lashed out with a preciseness that she hadn't possessed before. The sudden onslaught caused Dick to pull back several steps away from her, then to the right three steps, and back to the left. A hook kick caught Dick on the jaw, his head snapping to the side. Diana used his small, half-second of shock to kick his chest. He fell down. Quickly, Diana was on top of him, knee pressed close to his throat, and wrists held in her sure grip.

The computer announced Diana to be the winner of the round.

"Who taught you while you were away?"

Diana's head whipped up to the voice, and saw everyone staring at her. She released her hold on Dick, stood up and offered him a hand. He took it and stood up, rubbing his jaw.

"I don't know what you mean."

"What Artemis means," Kaldur said, "Is that you did not fight like that three years ago. You seem much more effective now in eliminating threats."

Diana shrugged. "I didn't have a teacher, but I did have a lot of practice. Also, Google seemed to be pretty useful for finding out new techniques."

The Team shared unconvinced glances, but remained quiet. They didn't feel the need to push her, especially when she had only just gotten back. Who knew what would make her leave as suddenly as she had the last time. It was better to not question her small share information yet. There would be opportunities in the future to ask her about it.

Barbara and Artemis went into the holographic circle, and began to fight. Diana stood with Dick and Dinah on her sides. She could see Dick's chest rising and falling, a glistening sheen of sweat on his temple. There was a time when that would have been enough for her to kiss him, but now it had no effect on her.

"Sweetie," Dinah murmured. She leaned her head in close, "I've been in this job for longer than you have. I know your fighting style. Those weren't your moves."

It was a quiet accusation. Diana closed her eyes, exhaled, "I know."

"Who taught you?"

Diana could still remember him clearly. They had only been apart for a year and a half, after all. "A friend."

* * *

a/n: And this is where it gets interesting, haha. Please review! I always love hearing your thoughts of the story.

 **Guest:** You, my friend, have quite a few good points. I'd like to talk to you about them in private, so that I don't give away the story for other readers. If that isn't possible, then know that your ideas and knowledge are deeply welcomed! I'd like to hear more about what you have to say.


	4. Tell Us

a/n: Ah! It's been quite a few months, and suddenly this story pops back into the internet. I'm sorry for the lack of updates, but the story is far from over and I am not giving up on it. So, here's chapter number four! xx

* * *

 **| The Watchtower**

 **| December 13, 09: 13 EST**

"Time Manipulator was teaching me in secret and during one of those training sessions he inserted The Light's mind-controlling chip on me."

Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Red Tornado sat on the conference table the League reserved for important meetings. Currently, they were listening intently to Diana's explanation for her absence. Each time she opened her mouth to speak, either Green Arrow or Black Canary flinched. The rest of the League were keeping their emotions in check, for the sake of the family in the room.

Diana cleared her throat, "I left the Team when I found out. I didn't want anyone hurt, but I also didn't want anyone to know about my secret training with the Time Manipulator. So, it seemed to me that the best way to fix this would be to get the cure myself."

"You went to the Light by yourself?" Black Canary raised her voice, hands made fists on the table.

"Not exactly. I went to the League of Shadows, who were working with Cadmus to manufacture the chips. They had teamed up with the Light to help their cause," Diana exhaled, "And I know what you must think. I was stupid, and reckless, and above all, inconsiderate. I didn't realise what I was doing would keep me away from all of you for as long as it did. At the most, I thought I'd be gone for six months. But that isn't exactly what happened."

"You're right," Green Arrow scowled. "That wasn't what happened. What you did was go to your abusive father for lessons, who then attempted to use mind-control on you. Then you went to the Shadows, of all places! Straight to the people who want you dead, and who would kill you without a second thought."

"It was beyond reckless, Diana. That was a suicidal mission," Black Canary hissed.

Superman cleared his throat, "Tell us, Diana. Why did you go to the Time Manipulator in the first place?"

Diana shifted in her seat at the head of the table. Everyone was staring at her, waiting for the response that would, ultimately, determine their trust in her. If there was ever a time to do something right, it was this one. How was she supposed to say it?

 _Reduce mass damage. Divide and conquer if you have to._

Diana shook her head, dissipating the voice from her mind. She didn't want to deal with the memory of him when she had more important things to get through.

"I didn't have anyone who could help me control my powers," Diana said. She fidgeted with the sleeve of her sweater. "I was beginning to find out more about myself, and as you all remember, new abilities just burst out of me. There was no way for me to control them by myself, and who knew, maybe in one mission I would kill one of you on accident."

"You went to the Time Manipulator because there was no one else in the world who could teach you proper control?" Wonder Woman asked, but it sounded more like a statement.

"Yes," Diana replied.

"That is a reasonable response," Red Tornado said.

"Reasonable, to an extent." Batman argued. He glowered at Diana, and she withered in his glare. Once upon a time she would not have cowered, having been too used to his methods of intimidation. But that was once upon a time, and she had now forgotten how to stare back.

Batman continued, "What I would really like to know is how did you ever think you could trust the Time Manipulator?"

Diana thought on this. She was sure she had never trusted the man, but his constant proud smile and her small bouts of belief in there being goodness in him would say differently. How could she answer if she didn't know the answer herself?

"I don't think I ever did," Diana sighed. "I don't know."

"How can you not know?" Black Canary slammed an open palm on the table, rattling Diana's crossed arms. "Did you give him information on the League, on the Team? Did you give him personal information about you?"

"No, no!" Diana exclaimed. "Nothing like that. I just became less wary of him; I started believing he didn't have any ulterior motives."

"But how could you ever believe that of a man who left you and your mother to die?" Green Arrow asked, voice raised.

"Because I was thirteen!" Diana's voice broke, "Ollie, I was thirteen years old. I was a kid, one who, yes, was exposed to the world of criminals, but a kid. We were all kids, and as kids, we believed there to be good in all people, even if they couldn't see it themselves. You still believe that, don't you?"

"We do," Wonder Woman said. "But do you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You said this all in past tense. Don't you still believe in that?"

"I…" Diana faltered. "I don't know."

The room was silent, all of its inhabitants left in a shocked state. Green Arrow squeezed Black Canary's hand under the table. Wonder Woman and Superman exchanged a look. Batman remained studying Diana, her lowered eyes and her hunched shoulders.

"Diana, what happened to you?" Superman murmured.

"The Shadows," Diana said. "Me. Cadmus. The Light, ultimately."

 _A million things and still, it seems like the list will never end._

* * *

Diana zeta-beamed into the Cave. She half-expected the computer to announce her name, if it was even still registered in the system. The only thing she got in response was the jovial laugh of Gar, who was watching TV in the living room. A smile tugged the corners of her lips. It was good to have someone so young in the Cave. Gar, and also Bart, made for two very talented ice-breakers.

Walking into the living room, Diana dropped onto the couch next to Car. She stretched her muscles, arms high over her head and toes curled. "Good morning, Gar."

"Hi, D. How was the meeting?"

Diana laughed humourlessly, "As good as it can get with five angry adults and a semi-sentient android in the room."

"That bad?"

"Times it by ten and you might get close."

M'gann appeared from the kitchen, shaking her head at the duo. "You keep talking to him like that, and he'll be scared when he has to talk to the League."

Diana chuckled, "If he can get on Batman's good side, everything will be fine."

M'gann's pleasant expression faltered. In M'gann's thoughts, there was the unspoken truth that Diana had not been on Batman's good side. And in Diana's thoughts, there was the unspoken truth that anyone who was on Batman's bad side was there for a reason. Neither said anything out loud, too reluctant in what intimacy barriers separated them now.

Diana cleared her throat. She checked her watch; it read 11:02.

"I'm going to take a shower," Diana announced. "And, uh, M'gann? Is there a church nearby?"

M'gann's eyes widened. It would have been comical to Diana if she hadn't been so nervous in asking. Gar looked between Diana's fidgeting and M'gann's speechlessness. He narrowed his eyes at both of them, unsure on whether to intervene or not.

After a moment, he said, "There's one at the other end of town. Right across Whole Foods."

Diana flashed Gar a stiff smile, "Thanks."

She left the room. Gar turned to M'gann, finding her staring at Diana's retreating back. He could hear Conner emerging from the basement, sharing a brief greeting with Diana as they passed each other. Conner walked into the room, taking in M'gann's frozen stance.

"Are you okay?" Conner asked.

"I, yes." M'gann nodded slowly, "Diana just asked me if there was a church here."

Conner eyed the direction where Diana had gone off before pointing at it, "Her?"

"What's wrong with Diana asking where the church is?" Gar asked.

"Well," M'gann began. "She was never a religious person. She said that religion only made our work more complicated than anything it could do in favour. Once she even tried to go to church with Dinah but said it hadn't suited her."

Conner and M'gann exchanged a long look that meant they were talking telepathically. After a few minutes of Gar feeling out of the loop, they ended their soundless conversation. M'gann stayed in the living room, as Conner walked out and in the direction of the bedrooms.

At the last moment, he turned. "What do you wear for church?"

M'gann smacked the top of her head, "Hello, Megan! I guess some long pants, and a long-sleeved shirt?"

Conner nodded, and walked out of the room.

Gar turned to M'gann with wide eyes, but she only shrugged and walked back into the kitchen. The rice was starting to sizzle.

* * *

"You want to come to church with me?" Diana asked, eyebrows raised.

"Yes," Conner replied.

"And how come you're suddenly religious?"

"I'm not. I just want to know what people do there."

"Uh huh, okay." Diana nodded, sighing. She pulled on her winter jacket and boots. Pressing the down button of the elevator, she said, "I don't see why you can't come."

Conner nodded. He followed her into the elevator, both of them silent as it descended to the basement. They walked out and got to their respective motorcycles, the only vehicles inside the Cave. Dick had returned the rental car to the airport yesterday, as he had gone back to Gotham with Barbara to help Batman and Robin with a mission.

Diana and Conner climbed on their rides, and opened the bay door to the snow-filled paleness of the outside world. Having lived out of Rhode Island for so long, Diana had forgotten how cold it was to be in Happy Harbour during the winter. She shivered as the cold sea air whipped around her face. The short strands of her hair tickled her cheek as they drove. She shook them off, staring for a beat at Conner's back.

They sped up. No one else was out in the streets, the ice too difficult to maneuver about if you didn't have good driving skills. Luckily, both Conner and Diana had had enough experience with motorcycles to cross the town with just a little veering off their side of the road.

Diana pressed the comm in her helmet, "Are you going to tell me the real reason as to why you're coming with me, or do I have to guilt you into it?"

Conner shot her an irritated look over his shoulder. "You can't guilt me into telling you. In fact, you can't guilt anyone because the only guilty one here is you."

Conner shot away from Diana, his motorcycle's engine rumbling louder as it sped down the long road. Diana sighed, hitting her helmet once, hard. Of course that had been the wrong thing to say. Of course Diana was in no position to guilt anyone.

It seemed that saying the wrong thing was a specialty of hers, as of late.

They reached the church with a few minutes to spare before midday mass. Diana noted that there were only a few cars parked at the church, and so she and Conner took the liberty to park their motorcycles in a car's lot. There were no spaces for motorcycles, and although leaving them unchained left Diana feeling a little unsafe, she doubted there were robbers in Happy Harbour. It was such a small town.

Conner led the way into the church, and they took their places on one of the wooden pews. The priest came out, and three of the dozen guests that had gathered for mass then read the Bible's passages.

Soon, they had reached the communion. Diana turned to Conner, "It might be best if you stay here."

"Why?"

"Well, you're not Catholic, are you?"

"No," Conner frowned, "But are you?"

Diana shrugged, stepping out of the pew to walk to the front. "I was baptised, and I took the communion while I was away. So I guess I am."

Conner felt a little dazed, watching Diana walk up to the priest and receive the circular piece of bread and take a sip from the wine. He had the brief thought of taking a video of her to send to the Team and see what they thought of this. But there was something so fragile about Diana just then, so trusting, that Conner waved the thought away. She might have broken his trust, but that didn't mean he had to do the same.

Diana returned to the pew and kneeled down on the wood, eyes closed as she muttered a prayer in Spanish. When she was done, she rose and sat down beside Conner in silence.

"Why don't you pray in English?"

Diana was quiet for a moment, "My mother taught me when I was young. I've never stopped praying in Spanish since then."

Somehow Conner knew she wasn't talking about Dinah.

* * *

Diana and Conner got back to the Cave just as the snow began to reach two inches outside, and Diana was sure it'd even go up to four if it kept falling that heavily. They took off their jackets and left them to dry, stepping out of their soaked boots and leaving them next to their jackets, as well. Conner called down the elevator, and together, they rode it to the mission room.

When they stepped out, Diana saw that Batman, Black Canary, Green Arrow, Red Arrow, and Arsenal were gathered together.

Conner took one look at them and said, "I'm going to the living room."

The six people watched as Conner rounded the corner to the living room and disappeared. Diana took a deep breath, giving them a resigned smile. Red Arrow gestured for her to join them in the middle of the mission room.

"We decided that what you gave the League today was a quick description of the events of these past three years," Batman announced, "And that given how many holes in your story, you're going to tell us everything from the start."

Diana sighed, "Okay. But can we go where Conner, M'gann, and Garfield won't overhear us? I'd rather this be kept between the League and my family for now."

The adults nodded, and made their way inside the library. Arsenal closed the door behind him. Everyone took seats on opposite sides of a table, leaving the table's head for Diana. She sat down and crossed her hands before her.

"Where do you want me to start?"

"From the first time that the Time Manipulator approached you for your training sessions," Batman said.

Everything quieted around her, and Diana began.

"It was September of 2010. The Time Manipulator approached me in the streets, knowing that I needed help controlling my powers after seeing a publicised fight. I agreed after he told me that I could kill others if I didn't learn to control my powers. We started up monthly sessions in secret, and we would do it in our old apartment in Gotham. We continued like that until January 2011, after the situation with the microchips. I had met him for a regular practice session, but he ambushed me and inserted the chip.

For a few days, I tried to find a way to get it out of my system, but I learned that it could only be done by the creator of the chips. We all knew Cadmus manufactured them, so I tracked them down to the Tibetan mountains where the Shadows held their headquarters. And I entered."

"I'm assuming it was harder than that," Batman said.

Diana nodded, "It was. But I had help from someone inside the League of Shadows."

"Who?"

"His name was Jay. He persuaded one of the Cadmus scientists to help me with the chip, and we left the mountains with him. Last I saw of the scientist, he was in Holland seeking refuge."

"Do you know Jay's full name?" Black Canary asked.

"No." A lie. "He never disclosed more than that with me."

"After getting rid of the chip, I considered coming back to all of you," Diana continued. "But Jay and the scientist warned me that the Shadows would be after both of them, and since I had been seen with them, it was best if I remained in hiding. So I did."

"Let me get this straight," Green Arrow shook his head, eyes wide. "You took advice from two former members of the League of Shadows?"

"No," Diana shook her head. "I took the advice of two men desperate to survive, and with enough bloodshed in their hands to admit to their wrongdoings. I took a calculated risk, and it turned out for the best. For the next two years, Jay and I traveled alone after the scientist went to Holland. We scoured all the continents for shelter, even coming as far as the southernmost tip of Argentina. Then I realised something."

"That Jay was a double agent sent to kill you?" Red Arrow deadpanned.

Diana glared, "I realised that the Shadows were not after us anymore. They were after the scientist, but not after Jay. He wasn't a member of the Shadows. When I confronted him about it, he told me that he was just an unlucky mountain scaler who had fainted from lack of supplies and was taken in by one of the healers of the Shadows. He had no information regarding the organization, and so he was completely invaluable. We were safe."

"If that's so," Batman said, "Then why did he not tell you sooner?"

"He knew I was his only chance at survival, and afterward, he helped me with missions because he recognised me from the news. Jay knew I was Timeless, and had decided to help me." Diana rubbed the space between her eyebrows. "We continued for a few more months before I told him I had found a lead I had to follow on my own, and so we parted ways. Last I saw of him, he was in Bolivia, in his apartment."

"What was the lead you followed?" Green Arrow asked.

Diana smiled, "I had found plans by the Reach to cause a potential, well, I can't say much or else it'll alter the space-time continuum. Let's just say it brought me to the future, and with it, Bart Allen. I helped him build his time machine, and after that, I came back to our timeline. I continued following leads to stop the Reach and the Shadows for the next year. Soon, all trails had run cold. That's when I decided to call the Team."

The library was silent as everyone at the table absorbed her story. Diana had left enough out of it so that the gruesome details of how exactly she followed those leads wouldn't come up. However, she still felt blood staining her hands for all to see. She looked down at her lap, perfectly clean hands twisting around each other.

Diana chanced a glance at the people around her. Batman was inscrutable, but so was Red Arrow. Black Canary and Green Arrow looked mildly horrified and relieved in equal parts, and Arsenal didn't take his eyes off of her.

"Could one of you say something?" Diana murmured.

"That wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was," Green Arrow exhaled, a breathy chuckle escaping him. "Hell, I thought you'd been alone all this time. Or worse, in the wrong company."

"Compared to what I went through," Red Arrow shrugged, "You did really well."

Diana gave them both a small smile. She turned to Bruce, "Am I off the hook?"

"For now."

"I just," Black Canary's breath hitched. "I can't believe you went through all of that alone. You were just a child, Diana, and you went off into the world and into the League of Shadows without a second thought. I was terrified for you, and then I find out this is worse than some of the things I imagined, and infinitely times better than others."

"Mom," Diana whispered, standing up from her chair to hug her tightly. "I'm okay now. I'm here, with you. If I'm alive, then I'm all right."

A ghost of a smile tugged at Diana's lip, remembering every occasion she had uttered those words. She just wished that she could believe them as easily as she had back when she was thirteen.

"I'll leave you to it," Batman stood up, but before he could leave, he turned, "Alfred would like to see you."

Diana's eyes widened, and she let go of Dinah. She stared at Bruce for a second. "Could I see him now?"

Bruce nodded, and made his way out of the library. Diana squeezed her mother's hand, "I'll be back soon."

Diana followed Bruce to the zeta-beam, where he typed their destination in the beam's computer system. Bruce stepped in first, then Diana. When the bright light faded off, Diana blinked a few times before coming face-to-face with the Batcave. The computer was grander than life, as per usual. There were a few more keyboards scattered around than before, and the Batmobile (as she and Dick had taken to calling it when they were little) had gotten many worthwhile updates.

She took a deep breath of the damp walls and couldn't help but feel calmer than she had these past few months. To have Batman's trust like this meant the world to her.

Bruce took off his cowl, "Alfred!"

Alfred trailed into the cave, dignified expression sitting royally on his face before he realised who their guest was. His eyes widened as he looked between Bruce and Diana.

"Good afternoon, Alfred," Diana grinned.

"Oh, Ms Crane," Alfred brought a hand to his mouth. Diana walked up to him, hugging him gently. There were circles under his eyes, and the wrinkles in his face seemed more pronounced than ever before. He looked like he could crumble at any moment.

"Hey, Bruce, can you please tell Dick to-" A young boy hurried down the staircase that lead to the cave, and when he saw Diana, his blue eyes widened in panic.

"It's okay, Tim," Dick and Barbara emerged behind Tim. "She knows about us and about Bruce and about Alfred. And, as you can see, also the Batcave."

Diana rubbed her hands over Alfred's arms before letting go and extending an arm to Tim, "Hello, Tim. I'm Diana Crane. It's nice to officially meet you."

Tim took her hand, "You too."

Bruce smiled, "Diana, since you're here, you might as well let Alfred bake you his cookies."

"Oh, yes," Alfred nodded. There was nothing fragile about him as he straightened out. "Ms Crane, I'm afraid that you look much skinnier than the last time we talked. You must eat something."

Diana nodded, sparing one look at Dick and Barbara. They were both smiling as she said, "Of course, Alfred."

* * *

a/n: Again, so sorry for for the lack of updates, but now that it is summer, I'm sure that the updates will come more frequently and sooner. Also, I've got the will to write more fierce than ever so. That might also have to do with it. Anyway, thank you so much for reading this chapter after all this time! Please review, favourite, and follow! xx


	5. Our Past

a/n: Guess who's back. Back again.

* * *

 **| Mount Justice**

 **| December 17, 05: 47 EST**

Diana ran faster and faster. Her legs were burning, but she didn't heed her body's warnings. Mind blank, she ran only to keep her thoughts at bay.

Mount Justice's beach was hazy in the early morning. The sun was obscured by the white-grey clouds, and the sky seemed watery through the beginnings of a drizzle. The ocean was calm, waves lapping gently on the shore. Diana felt suspended in time. Somehow, she didn't mind the feeling. It had been a long time since she had done something just for the sake of doing it without worrying about the outcome.

She kept running, feeling her lungs burn in the crisp breeze. Perhaps it wasn't her best idea to do exercise outside in the winter, but she couldn't help herself. Diana had felt too cooped up inside the Cave, and had wanted respite. Her friends had kept her in their line of sight at almost every waking moment. They didn't trust her being left to her own devices for too long.

Diana couldn't blame them for it, not really. She knew it was her own actions that had put them in this position, and the shame she felt when one of them offered to come with her to the kitchen, or the living room, or her own room, prodded at her heart and her mind. It was as close to torture as the Team could get to.

 _Torture,_ Diana breathed a non-comical laugh. _As if the Team could ever torture someone._

She remembered all the times she had tortured, even killed. It was a weight that followed her to the last strands of wakefulness. Something that always plagued her sleep. The knowledge of having willingly murdered others was worse than anything Diana had ever endured, because that was what it was whether the people were good or bad. Plain and simple. Diana knew killing was still killing, even if it was in self-defence, or if the people would have murdered others in return and destroyed the world.

Killing could not be masked, or sugarcoated. It simply was.

Sighing, Diana halted her jog. She walked over to the shore, sitting down and wrapping her arms loosely around her knees. The reason she had gone running was to take her mind off things. In the end, it had the complete opposite effect on her. Figures.

"Diana?"

She turned her head, seeing Kaldur walking up to her. He stopped a few paces from her, sitting down on the sand.

"What are you doing up so early?" Diana asked.

"I always wake up at this hour," Kaldur said. "Usually it's just to swim in the ocean."

Diana hummed. "You can take a fish out of the water, but you can't take the water out of the fish."

Kaldur smiled, "It's a wonder how true that saying can be."

Diana nodded. A silence washed over them.

"And why are you here so early?"

"I needed to clear my mind," Diana shrugged. "I went for a run."

"Did it help?"

Diana's lips tugged up, bitterly. "Not really, but then again, it never does. I don't really know why I do it anymore."

"Why don't you try something different?" Kaldur suggested, "I swim for the same reason, and I know M'gann flies and Karen experiments in her laboratory."

Diana's eyebrows furrowed. She could try something else, she realised. The reason she had been running all these years as an escape was out of convenience. It would keep her in shape, and help her mental state while she was out. Now that she was back with the Team, she could train with the other members. And she had more time on her plate without the worry of potential hostiles finding her newest hiding spot.

Diana turned to Kaldur, placed a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks, Kal."

Kaldur nodded, smiling. "I'm glad I could be of service."

They both stood up at the same time, Kaldur walking toward the frothing ocean, and Diana to the looming mountain. Before Diana could get more than five steps out, Kaldur called out to her.

"You know, it's a bit odd to be giving you advice."

Diana looked at him over her shoulder, "It's not like you haven't done it before."

"Yes," Kaldur stared hard at her. "But I have not done it for three years."

Biting her lip, Diana lowered her gaze. What else could she do? She turned away, walking back to the Cave. The conversation plagued her all the way from the beach, to her bedroom, to her bathroom, and throughout the hot shower that should have helped her. Just like running, showering did nothing for her. These past three years were filled with so much torture that Diana was afraid of herself as much as she was afraid of what the Team would think of her if they ever found out.

As she towelled off, Diana rubbed a hand over her face. She knew she had done one of the worst things this world had to offer, that much was clear to her. It was plain to the people she had tortured, and it was even simpler for those who she had murdered.

The least she could do was be shameful about her murders, because that was what they were. No matter the fact that she had saved the seven billion people in the world and the Earth itself, Diana had dirtied her hands and she could never come back from that.

Diana changed into jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, stepping into her shoes as she walked out to the kitchen. Gar was jumping around, grabbing pans and spatulas to give to M'gann. She watched them for a minute before knocking on the wooden frame of the kitchen's entrance. "Is there room for one more?"

M'gann beamed, "Diana, good morning! How did you sleep?"

"I got a few hours in. And you?"

"Like a baby. Last night's mission had me exhausted, and I almost fell asleep without showering."

Diana laughed, "That's the first time I hear that something like that happens."

"It's one of the few times," Gar said. "The last time she did that was after the Reach invasion. But, well, that was taking-over-the-world business. This was just a normal mission."

"Says you," M'gann furrowed her eyebrows. "You didn't come with us. How would you know if it was a normal mission?"

"It lasted five hours, M'gann," Diana smiled, shaking her head. "Let it go."

M'gann pointed her spatula at Diana, "Just for that, you get to help me with breakfast."

Gar whooped, running out of the kitchen to sit on the floor in front of the couch. He turned on his video game console and began playing just as Diana stuck her tongue out at the back of his head, a pan already being shoved in her hands. M'gann and Diana finished breakfast for the usual residents, with Kaldur trailing in with Conner.

"Kaldur, is that your own?" Diana grinned, gesturing to Kaldur's book with her pan, "If I didn't know better, I'd say you lived here. The ocean doesn't really allow for paper."

"I do live here."

Diana blinked. "Since when?"

"Since five months ago," Kaldur answered. "I decided it would be best to remain in the Cave for the time being to clear up any loose ends after working as a double agent."

Diana had spent the last few days in Dinah and Ollie's apartment after they insisted her sleeping under the same roof as them. It hadn't been the ideal option for her first night after arriving, and so she had remained in the Cave for that one night. After that, they had given her no choice on the matter, but living under the roof of two healthy and jubilant adults made for awkward morning conversations, and so Diana had left them in favour of the Cave's residents. They wouldn't keep her up into the early hours of the morning.

"All right, then," Diana nodded, understanding.

They ate in comfortable quiet, oftentimes breaking it in favour of small quips about the food or the day or the training that was ahead of them. When they were done, Kaldur and Gar took cleaning duty for the day, and the other three were left to their own devices for an hour before their training began.

Diana walked away from Conner and M'gann, who had opted to go outside and see the snow, "The Cave is different now. I want to see what changes you've made."

M'gann nodded, "Just call us if you need anything."

Diana gave them a little wave, and they left. She took one look at the living room and went through the hallway that led to the library and the private spaces. Walking down the dimly illuminated space, the walls became less smooth and the air grew damper. If she peeked her tongue out, Diana would be able to taste the moisture

She reached a set of wide stairs, and with one look at the deserted hallway behind her, she went down. When she reached the end of the staircase, she realised that she was right above the basement, but just below of the main floor. Diana had gone into what seemed a secret room of sorts, with the walls and floor made from the rock of the Cave itself. The Team hadn't touched this part of the Cave for remodelling; they had simply left it as it had always been.

Diana rounded a corner and came to a halt.

Right in front of her stood a hologram of Wally in his Kid Flash costume. The plaque on the hologram's base read his name and his alias, but it was information Diana had already memorised when she was younger. And if she reached far enough into her memory, she could still hear his laugh when he would sneak them out of their houses for a night of diners. It was engraved in her mind.

"He looks rather heroic, does he not?"

Diana inclined her head, peering at Kaldur. His eyes were tight around the corners.

"How did he die, Kaldur?"

"He, the Flash, and Bart were running against an MFD, a device the Reach had created. They knew their combined speeds would counter-act with its effects, but he was too slow. Slower than the Flash and Impulse. The chrysalis hit him until he disappeared."

"He just disappeared?"

Kaldur gave her a measured look, "Yes."

Diana lowered her head, closing her eyes as she crouched down and touched the plaque with Wally's name. It was too cold, and felt too sticky with the moisture in the room. She didn't want to keep her hand on it, but retracting it was worse. Leaving was like losing Wally all over again, this time as her choice.

Diana muttered a soft prayer under her breath, too soft for Kaldur to hear.

"Conner tells me that you became religious in your time away?"

"Yes," Diana breathed, "And how it has served me. One of my best friends is dead, and the rest distrust me at best and hate me at worst."

"We don't hate you," Kaldur put a hand on her shoulder. "But you had to have expected our anger."

"I did. It doesn't make it easier."

"It rarely ever does."

Diana pulled away from Kaldur, moving away from the hologram to walk around the room. There were others here, she realised. The fallen heroes of the past years. There was Tula, with hands defiantly on her hips, and the original Blue Beetle. She pulled her gaze away from them to come face-to-face with the other hero in the room. A Robin.

"Kaldur?"

"His name was Jason Todd."

Diana whirled around, breath rattled, "How do you know?"

"Nightwing needed emotional support after losing him. He turned to us for it, and as we already knew of his secret identity, he felt safe in disclosing Jason's information with us."

There was an underlying current in Kaldur's words as he spoke, and Diana couldn't help but wonder if it meant what she had been thinking for the past three years. Dick had needed her and she hadn't been there for him. The whole team had needed her and she hadn't been there for them. She hadn't been there at all.

She hadn't been with them because she had been with someone else.

"How did he die?"

"An explosion," Kaldur sighed. "Batman was too late."

"Who set it?"

"The Joker."

A sudden prickling warmth spread through her heart, trickling down her back. Diana felt her fingertips tingling and, for a moment, swore they were shaking. She was no stranger to the Joker's manic killing sprees, but a child? A young boy with so much to live for, with a life that could have been as successful as Bruce's, or as filled to the brim with love as Dick's, or even as comforting and strengthening as Tim's. That boy had been killed and there was no going back from that.

"How are they now?"

Kaldur lowered his head, "You can often tell Dick is still mourning, but Robin did not know Jason well enough."

Diana nodded, leaving it at that. They walked back up to the mission room. Some things had changed so drastically since Diana was away that she found herself wondering what exactly had she lost when she decided to leave. It wasn't just the loss of her friends' trust, but also of parts of their lives that had shaped them to be what they were now. A long time had passed since Diana had been forced to discover a person anew, and she didn't know how to do it with people she was supposed to know like her own soul.

When Diana and Kaldur reached the mission room, they were met by Roy and something - someone - in his arms. Diana's brain short-circuited. It took her a moment to regain her breath, in which Kaldur was already grabbing the wriggling baby from Roy's arms and cooing at her. Roy looked at Diana with sympathy, a hand beckoning her to him.

Diana stumbled her way to them.

"Diana, I'd like you to meet Lian Harper," Roy smiled. "Lian, this is your aunt Diana."

Lian turned big brown eyes toward Diana, and she felt herself sliding down into complete affection for the child. Diana took Lian's hand with two fingers, eyes wide at how small the girl's hand was in her own. A million questions assaulted her.

"Roy Harper," Diana said, "When did you have this baby?"

"She's one year old now, her birthday was September twenty-three."

"And who's the mother?"

"Prepare yourself for a surprise, my friend," Kaldur grinned.

Diana blurted, "It will not be Artemis. Or Barbara. Oh god, it was probably Barbara, wasn't it? This baby is a redhead and you two are redheads…"

"It's not Barbara!" Roy cringed, "It's Jade Nguyen."

A beat of silence.

"Jade? As in Artemis' sister? As in Cheshire, Jade Nguyen?"

"Yes."

Diana looked at Lian for a moment, taking in her huge eyes and giggling mouth. She looked so utterly happy to be among them. For a second, Diana searched for traces of Jade in her, but she stopped herself. Did it really matter that Lian's mother was Jade?

So many things could have happened to Roy since she last saw him, lost and confused as he found out he was a clone. And how she wished she could have helped him, even when she knew only he could help himself. Now, here he was, with a lover and a daughter. A family. There was no reason for her to resent Jade for past crimes, not when she had done all of this for Roy. Jade had given him a home, a reason to live and not just exist.

"I guess Jade, Artemis and I are now sisters-in-law," Diana placed a hand on Roy's shoulder. "I can think of worse things to be."

Roy let go of the tension in his body, very nearly opening his lips to breathe out a sigh. Diana left him to compose himself, turning back to Kaldur, who held Lian with complete gentleness. "Can I hold her?"

Kaldur gave her Lian, who instantly began writhing in Diana's arms. Diana shushed her with soft little huffs of air, bouncing her in place. Lian quieted, looking up at Diana with those big eyes of her. They gave each other small smiles, and Diana felt a broken piece of her, shattered by her kills, partly mend itself. It was enough.

"I just wish you'd told me sooner," Diana sighed. "I've been back for a week, Roy. This is my niece."

"We didn't know how you'd react. Jade and I wanted to wait," Roy said.

"What did you think I'd say?"

"To be honest with you, I don't know. You were a little unstable when you came back."

Diana took that in silence, keeping up Lian's bouncing. If she seemed unstable then it was because she was. She had exhausted all her options for the mission, had found out Wally was dead, and was as emotionally drained as she was physically when she was done with greeting everyone. Had Diana been taking care of a child herself, she would have wanted them to be far away from her.

Bile rising up her throat, Diana handed Lian to Roy, "She's beautiful. I love her already."

Roy gave her a look, but took Lian in silence. "That's what they all say. She's a charmer."

"Must have gotten that from Jade because she certainly didn't get it from you, old man."

"I have a daughter, Diana. It didn't automatically make me forty."

"No, you're right," She waited a beat. "It made you fifty."

Lian, Kaldur, and Diana snickered while Roy glared at them all.

* * *

It was already close to midnight when Diana stepped on the porch of the house in Palo Alto. She knocked on the door, wrapping her loose sweater around herself. Artemis opened the door, not a trace of sleep on her face, and when Diana looked down, she noticed the highlighter clutched in Artemis' hand.

"Diana, hi," Artemis stepped away, and Diana came into the house.

Textbooks were scattered around the dining table, highlighters and pens as well. The whole house felt warm and comfortable, but too big for a single person. Before she could continue surveying the home, a white bulldog came barreling down the hallway to receive the newcomer. Diana bent down to rub the dog's head as he sniffed her shoes, her calfs, her hands, her wrists. It was ceaseless in its movements.

"Sorry about him," Artemis shrugged. "He gets excited with guests."

"I don't mind. What's his name?" Diana smiled. She kept rubbing his ears, now with more gusto.

"Brucely," Artemis sighed, as if this was a huge burden. "Wally wanted to name him Bruce after, well, Bruce. But I knew it'd only get our asses kicked. In the end, we found middle ground."

Diana's expression fell, but she immediately replaced it with something more neutral. She didn't need to bring any sadness into Artemis' home after all the grief she went through. Artemis seemed to be healing from Wally's loss so well, and Diana didn't have any right to dump her still-healing heart onto her doorstep.

"So, what brings you here?"

Diana inhaled deeply, standing up. "Well, Roy dropped quite the bomb on me today."

"A literal or metaphorical bomb?"

"A metaphorical bomb. Though I wouldn't put it past him to throw me a literal one just out of spite for the last few years," Diana quieted. "Roy introduced me to Lian."

"Oh?" Artemis sank on the couch, Diana following her lead. Her tone seemed much more cautious as she asked, "How did you take it?"

Diana felt a prickle of hurt, "I took it well, I think. Lian's very sweet."

"And what do you think of the mother?"

"Artemis, please," Diana took one of her hands in her own. "I don't care that he and Jade are together. Who am I to judge who he loves? The fact that he found something to live for other than finding Speedy is so relieving in itself. I'm always going to be grateful to Jade for it."

Artemis took a deep breath, "Okay, okay."

"Besides, I think I might even be looking forward to lunches with my niece and sisters-in-law."

"They're not married."

"No?" Diana shrugged, "Well, doesn't mean you're both any less of a family to me now."

Artemis cracked a smile. Diana smiled back, "Well, seeing as that's cleared, we've still got a lot of things to catch up on. Like what are you studying and why you live here among other things."

"Well, Wally picked out the place, actually…"

* * *

a/n: So, we meet Lian! And we also get to see some of Diana's inner demons taking shape. Also, yes, she killed people. There won't be any graphic description of said kills or said tortures seeing as this is rated T, so there's no need to worry.

Guest: I saw the review, and I honestly just...I laughed. I'm sorry I messed with your emotions (no, I'm not). And I'm sorry if you're feeling like Diana's family! They felt so awful, and I really wouldn't wish that on anybody. Apart from that, thank you so much!

Guest 2: I fixed it! Thank you for bringing that up. I had been looking for their dogs' name but after I didn't find it I just settled for something else. I remember now! Thank you!

Again, thank you so much for reading. Please review, favourite, and follow! A comment only takes a moment, and they really make my day! xx


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